Ridgecrest enforces a layered framework: local Ridgecrest Municipal Code Chapter XI § 11-1.1 (Protective Enclosure for Swimming Pools, Etc.), the California Swimming Pool Safety Act (Health & Safety Code §§115920-115929), and the 2022 California Building Code §3109 / California Residential Code Appendix AX adopted under the building department. Any swimming pool, fish pond, wading pool, or artificial body of water 18 inches or deeper must be enclosed by a permanent barrier of at least five feet (60 inches), and new or remodeled pools must include at least two of seven approved drowning prevention features.
Ridgecrest is unusual among California cities in maintaining its own local protective-enclosure ordinance in addition to the state code. RMC § 11-1.1 (Chapter XI, Swimming Pools and Artificial Bodies of Water) requires every person who owns or possesses premises within the city containing a swimming pool, fish pond, wading pool, or any outside body of water created by artificial means with a water depth of 18 inches or more in any portion to maintain a fence, wall, or other adequate structure completely surrounding the water. Per the city ordinance, the enclosure must be at least five feet in height and contain no openings large enough to admit a child except through doors or gates. This local 18-inch depth trigger is stricter than the state's typical 18-inch threshold and applies to ornamental water features as well as swimming pools. On top of the local ordinance, the Ridgecrest Building Department (located at 100 W California Ave) enforces the 2022 California Building Standards Code, which adopts Health & Safety Code §115923. State law requires the barrier to be at least 60 inches high measured from the side facing away from the pool, with bottom clearance not exceeding 2 inches above grade, no openings allowing a 4-inch sphere to pass, chain-link mesh maximum 1 3/4 inches, and a smooth outside face without handholds or footholds. Gates must open outward away from the pool, be self-closing and self-latching, with the latch release at least 60 inches above the ground. Per HSC §115922, a building permit issued for a new pool or substantial remodel at a single-family home requires installation of at least two of seven drowning prevention features: an enclosure meeting §115923; an ASTM F2286 removable mesh fence with key-lockable gate; an ASTM F1346 approved safety cover; exit alarms on house doors with direct pool access; self-closing, self-latching devices on those house doors with release at least 54 inches above the floor; an ASTM F2208 pool alarm; or other independently verified equivalent protection. Because Ridgecrest sits adjacent to China Lake NAWS in a high desert climate, both portable above-ground pools and permanent in-ground pools are subject to these rules whenever water depth reaches 18 inches.
Maintaining a swimming pool, spa, fish pond, or other artificial body of water 18 inches or deeper without the required five-foot enclosure violates RMC § 11-1.1 and is enforceable as a municipal infraction; the city can also abate the condition as a public nuisance. Pools built, replaced, or remodeled without the required permit, or with a non-compliant barrier, will fail final inspection by the Ridgecrest Building Department and cannot be filled or used until corrected. State law (Health & Safety Code §115922) makes installation of a non-compliant barrier on a newly built or remodeled pool a violation directly enforceable by the local building official, and the building department can issue stop-work orders under the adopted California Building Code.
Ridgecrest, CA
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Ridgecrest, CA
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Ridgecrest, CA
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Ridgecrest, CA
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Ridgecrest, CA
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Ridgecrest, CA
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